This invention relates to the art of drain cleaning tools and, more particularly, to cable feeding devices for powered and/or hand held and hand operated drain cleaning tools.
Hand held and hand operated drain cleaning tools have been provided heretofore and generally, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,158,076 and U.S. Pat. No. 2,284,939 for example, are comprised of a drain cleaning cable or snake coiled in a cable drum which is rotatable relative to a support by which the drum is adapted to be held in one hand of a user while the latter rotates the drum with his or her other hand through a crank on the drum. The cable extends forwardly of the drum and is extended relative thereto for insertion into a drain to be cleaned and rotates with the drum so as to clear a blockage encountered in the drain. Further in this respect, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,284,939, a length of the cable is adapted to be manually withdrawn from the drum by the user, and then a thumb screw is tightened against the cable at the forward end of the drum so as to preclude unintended displacement of the cable into the drum as the cable is advanced into the drain to be cleaned. The drum is then held with one hand and rotated by the other while the user at the same time forces the cable into the drain. When the withdrawn length of the cable has been inserted into the drain, the thumb screw is loosened, the cable is held in place and the drum is withdrawn from the entrance to the drain to withdraw a further length of cable from the drum. The thumb screw is again tightened and the operation is repeated to displace the newly extended length of the cable to the drain. In U.S. Pat. No. 2,284,939, the hand support for holding the drum for rotation is a tubular support at the rear end of the drum and, in other previous support arrangements, such a tubular support is disposed forwardly of the drum and may include a pistol grip type handle extending laterally of the axis of rotation for supporting the drum. A hand held and hand operated tool of the latter structure is available from The Ridge Tool Company of Elyria, Ohio under the latter""s product designation xe2x80x9cK-Spin Hand Spinner.xe2x80x9d When the drain cleaning operation is completed, the thumb screw is loosened and the cable is manually pushed back into the drum by the user.
Hand held and hand operated drain cleaning tools of the foregoing character are desirable in that they are lightweight, structurally simple, economical to manufacture, and, for all of these reasons, ideal for use in connection with light duty drain cleaning operations such as those encountered in a residential home. At the same time, the necessity to manually extend and retract the cable relative to the drum, and to tighten and loosen the thumb screw in connection with inserting and rotating the cable relative to a drain to be cleaned is cumbersome, difficult at times, such as in connection with moving the leading end of the cable around a sharp bend in the drain line, and is dirty as a result of sludge and other material adhering to the cable and contacting the hand of the user in connection with extending and retracting the cable relative to the drum. Should the user of the tool encounter an obstruction in the drain line while a considerable length of the cable extends outwardly from the drain entrance, rotation of the cable can result in the latter whipping about the axis of the drain as opposed to rotating about its own axis, and such whipping can damage the area adjacent the drain entrance. Further, it becomes frustrating, awkward and difficult in such situations to loosen the thumb screw to retract the extra cable into the drum without pulling the cable from the drain, tightening the thumb screw and then pushing and rotating the drum in an effort to advance the snake. Further frustration results from having to repeat the thumb screw loosening, cable pulling, thumb screw tightening, and drum pushing and rotating procedure, in order to move the leading end of the cable through or past the obstruction. While the foregoing problems and difficulties are minimized or avoided in connection with the operation of motor powered drain cleaning apparatus by providing the latter with cable feeding mechanisms operable in response to rotation of the drum and cable to automatically feed the latter relative to the drum, such feeding devices heretofore available are structurally complex, expensive, structurally and/or functionally complicated and/or inoperable in connection with a hand held and hand operated drain cleaning tool in which the drum is supported by one hand of a user and rotated by the other.
The hand held and hand operated drain cleaning tool disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,158,076 overcomes these problems. The hand held and hand operated drain cleaning tool includes cable driving components mounted on the drum support and a manually operated drive actuator mounted on the drum support for selective displacement by the user between operating and non-operating conditions relative to the cable for respectively feeding the cable relative to the drum and interrupting the cable feed.
Although this new hand held and hand operated device overcomes many of the problems associated with prior hand held and hand operated devices, there are instances when it is difficult to operate the hand held and hand operated device due to the length of cable that has been fed out and/or the type of clog encountered. During such operations, a power operated drain cleaning tool is desirable. However, in many situations the hand held and hand operated device is sufficient to accomplish the job. Therefore, there is a need for a drain cleaning tool that can be operated both manually or powered means and can be conveniently modified for operation by hand or by a power operated drive.
In accordance with the present invention, feeding arrangements are provided for drain cleaning tools of the foregoing character which avoid or minimize the problems and difficulties encountered in connection with the use thereof and which provide the advantages realized in connection with the use of cable feeding devices with power driven drain cleaning apparatus while promoting and maintaining the desired simplicity of structure and economy of manufacture and ease of use of a hand held and hand operated drain cleaning tool. In addition, the drain cleaning tool is easily modifiable into a power driven drain cleaning tool when added torque and speed are required. Feeding devices according to the invention include cable driving components mounted on the drum support and a manually or power operated drive actuator mounted on the drum support for selective displacement by the user between operating and non-operating conditions relative to the cable for respectively feeding the cable relative to the drum and interrupting the cable feed. Importantly, the manually or power operable drive actuator is positioned for operative displacement by the user using the fingers of the one hand by which the drum is supported while the drum is being rotated by the other hand of the user or the hand operating the power operated drive. In accordance with one embodiment, the drum support includes a hand grip by which the drum is supported with the one hand of the user, and the drive actuator includes a trigger forwardly adjacent the hand grip which is selectively displaceable by the user while he or she supports the drum in the one hand and rotates the drum with the other or operates a power drive to rotate the drum. In accordance with another embodiment, the drum support includes a cradle-like portion extending forwardly of the drum and by which the latter is adapted to be supported by one hand of a user, and the manually or power operable drive actuator is diametrically opposed to the cradle-like portion and is selectively displaceable by the fingers and/or thumb of the one hand of the user while the latter rotates the drum with his or her other hand to operate a power drive to rotate the drum. In this embodiment, the cradle and drive actuator components structurally provide a tubular configuration in which the parts are adapted to be radially constricted in response to a squeezing type gripping of the components.
Advantageously, a feeding device in accordance with the present invention comprises three feed rollers and one drive actuator, thus minimizing the number of component parts, and maintaining a desired lightweight and economical cost of production while improving the ease and convenience of use heretofore experienced with hand held and hand operated or power operated drain cleaning tools by eliminating the need to manually displace the cable relative to the drum in connection with the performance of a drain cleaning operation.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the drain cleaning tool includes a handle that rotates the drum which is removable and/or can be used in association with a power operated drive. The power operated drive can provide additional torque and speed to the drum to rotate the drum in various circumstances. The power operated drive can be an electrical or a gas operated drive One particular power drive that is well suited for use with the drain cleaner is an electric power drill. The electric power drill is commonly available, easy to operate, and relatively lightweight. Battery operated power drills provide added flexibility for use in locations not readily accessible to a power outlet. In one embodiment, the handle includes an opening which allows a power operated drive to be connected to. a drive rod to rotate the drum. The power operated drive, when connected to the drive rod, causes the drive rod and the handle to rotate when rotating the drum. In one aspect of this embodiment, the opening in the handle is aligned with the longitudinal axis of the drive rod. In another aspect of this embodiment, the opening in the handle is positioned on the back surface of the handle. In another embodiment, the handle is removable to allow the power operated drive to be connected to the drive rod. By removing the handle, the inconvenience associated with the handle rotating while the power operated drive rotates the drum is eliminated. Such inconveniences include visual distractions caused by the rapid rotation of the handle; handle damage caused by the handle rapidly rotating that could strike an adjacently positioned object; and excessive noise, vibrations and/or instability caused by the non-symmetry, shape and size of the handle rapidly rotating about the axis of rotation of the drive rod. In one aspect of this embodiment, the handle includes a quick connection and/or disconnection arrangement to enable an operator to quickly and easily connect and/or disconnect the handle from the drive rod. Such arrangement can include, but is not limited to, snap clips on the handle and/or handle mount, a lock slot arrangement on the handle and/or handle mount, a quick release latch on the handle and/or handle mount, spring locks on the handle and/or handle mount, and/or lock pins on the handle and/or handle mount. The quick connection and/or disconnection arrangement enables an operator to remove and/or connect the handle to the drive rod without the need for tools. As can be appreciated, the handle can be connected to the drive rod by screws, bolts and the like which only require standard tools. The same can be applied for removing the handle.
In accordance with still another embodiment of the invention, a vibration dampening mechanism is secured to the drive rod of the drum to reduce vibrations during the rotation of the drum. When the drum is rotated, especially at high speeds, a significant amount of vibration can be generated. As a result of this vibration, the drum of the drain cleaner may not be able to be operated at high speeds due to the uncomfortable vibrations produced during the operation and handling of the drain cleaner. These vibrations are commonly the result of the cable wound about the drum and being wound symmetrically about the central axis of the drum, the rotation of a manually operated handle when used in conjunction with a power operated drive, and/or the twisting action of the cable in a drain pipe. The vibration dampening mechanism is designed to isolate the vibrations thereby reducing or eliminating the amount of vibration transferred to the manual handle or power operated drive, thus allowing the drum to be rotated at significantly greater speeds. In one embodiment, the vibration dampening mechanism is positioned adjacent to the coupling region of the manual handle and/or power operated drive to the drive rod of the drum. When a power operated drive is connected to the drive rod, the vibrations generated during the rotation of the drum are transferred through the drive rod to the power operated drive. By positioning the vibration dampening mechanism adjacent to the coupling region, the amount of vibration transferred to the power operated drive is significantly reduced. In one aspect of this embodiment, the vibration dampening mechanism is at least partially positioned about the drive rod. In another embodiment, the vibration dampening mechanism includes a spring designed to absorb vibrations generated during the rotation of the drum. The spring can be, but is not limited to, a coil spring. Typically, the spring is positioned about the longitudinal axis of the drive rod. In still another embodiment, the vibration dampening mechanism includes a rubber and/or elastomer washer, a flexible drive rod, belleville washers and the like.
It is accordingly an outstanding object of the present invention to provide a hand held and hand operated and/or power operated drain cleaning tool with a cable feeding device for axially displacing a drain cleaning cable relative to the storage drum thereof in response to rotation of the drum as the latter is supported by one hand of a user and rotated by the user""s other hand or by a power operated drive.
Another object of the present invention is the provision of a cable feeding device for a drain cleaning tool of the foregoing character which is selectively operable by the user of the tool in conjunction with the latter""s support of the tool during use thereof to engage and feed the cable or to release the cable for rotation with the cable drum without axial displacement.
Still another object of the present invention is the provision of a cable feeding device for a drain cleaning tool of the foregoing character which promotes maintaining a lightweight characteristic of the tool and the ease and convenience of use thereof while eliminating the need to manually displace the cable relative to the tool drum in order to perform a drain cleaning operation therewith.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of a cable feeding device for a drain cleaning tool of the foregoing character which is comprised of a minimum number of parts and is structurally simple, thereby promoting maintaining the economical production characteristic of the tool.
Yet a further object of the present invention is the provision of a cable feeding device for a drain cleaning tool of the foregoing character, wherein the manual handle for rotating the storage drum is easily connectable and disconnectable to the drive rod so that a power operated drive can be connected to the drive rod to rotate the storage drum.
Still yet another object of the present invention is the provision of a cable feeding device for a drain cleaning tool of the foregoing character which includes a vibration reducing mechanism that isolates vibrations from being transferred to the manual rotating handle and/or power operated drive during the rotation of the storage drum.